Third!

The Grand Martial Arts Arena was arranged with thirty rows of iron stakes—or rather, thirty rings.

The stakes stretched a full sixty columns, distributed in a circular pattern with the Iron-Scaled Python Demon at the core.

This layout ensured that no matter which starting point a disciple chose, the time required to reach the central Iron-Scaled Python Demon was the same.

At this moment, aside from a few disciples sharing a starting point in pairs, most stood alone at their own column.

"Now, the test begins!"

The moment Wei Jinlin's voice fell from the high platform, every disciple set off at once.

Hum—

Nearly sixty disciples struck their first iron stake almost simultaneously, the sound resonating and echoing across the Grand Martial Arts Arena.

It was like a warning bell, snapping everyone into focus.

They surged forward, plunging deeper into the Iron Stake Area!

Godly Movement!

This time, Lu Ming didn't hesitate. He activated the Godly Movement divine ability from the very start.

Instantly, momentum built upon him, only increasing, never diminishing.

He rode as if carried by the wind, advancing effortlessly deeper into the Iron Stake Area. Every stake he passed along the way received a light palm strike, ringing out loud and clear.

Mountain-Pushing!

He barely used his own strength at all. Relying solely on the "about to push, yet not pushing" realm of the Mountain-Pushing divine ability, he struck the stakes.

With these two divine abilities, he pressed deeper into the Iron Stake Area without pause. Behind him, disciples kept dropping out—some unable to withstand the pressure, others failing to strike the stakes, retreating in defeat.

His gaze flickered as he calmly observed ahead. By the sixteenth stake and beyond, almost everyone left was a Flesh Refining martial artist!

After this period of training in the Iron Stake Area, the number of Flesh Refining martial artists had grown from sixteen to as many as twenty-two.

Among them, Chen Feng, Feng Qingzhu, Zhao Zhiqiu, and others had reached Flesh Refining Grand Completion. Those few were far ahead, all having passed the twentieth stake.

Chen Feng, in particular, was far in the lead, reaching the twenty-third stake!

Lu Ming arrived silently at the twentieth stake. Only here did he begin to feel some pressure, and he took a moment to assess the situation.

With his current strength, he felt it wouldn't be difficult to surpass Chen Feng.

Relying on Godly Movement and Mountain-Pushing, the level he could reach in the Iron Stake Area might already be the highest among all disciples.

But he didn't want to display that kind of strength. Being too astonishing wasn't a good thing—the tallest tree catches the wind.

Chen Feng was a genius of the Chen family, with a history of outstanding performance. It was only natural for him to take first place now. But if Lu Ming took first, it would invite unwanted speculation.

Besides, the top three all received Red Tokens, with no distinction in rank. Why should he fight for first place and needlessly expose his strength?

So he held back for now, first observing everyone's limits, then choosing the third-place position.

"It's too hard. Everyone still holding on is Flesh Refining now."

Outside the Iron Stake Area, about forty disciples had already been forced to withdraw. Their faces showed either unwillingness or dejection as they stared at those still struggling on the field, murmuring among themselves.

In the crowd, Chen Jinyang saw Chen Feng far ahead, certain to take first, and laughed: "Zhao Zhiqiu and Feng Qingzhu are both inferior to my fifth brother. It seems our Chen family truly has a sign of great prosperity this year.

"If my fifth brother can take first in the Grand Examination, he'll very likely join a Ranked Sect and rise to the heavens in one step!"

After so many days, Chen Jinyang had basically accepted his fate, vaguely harboring the thought of supporting Chen Feng.

Though he had already advanced to Flesh Refining, he still ran out of steam at the twentieth stake and was forced to withdraw from the Iron Stake Area.

He knew his potential ended here. Only by betting on Chen Feng could he go further!

Seeing Chen Feng so far ahead now, his heart was joyful. He felt he had made the right choice.

Standing beside Chen Jinyang were Zhu Ming and Wu San.

After Shen Jue's death, Wu San had tried to latch onto Chen Jinyang, constantly hovering around him.

But Chen Jinyang found Wu San's talent somewhat lacking and had yet to agree to sponsor him.

At that moment, Wu San suddenly exclaimed in shock: "Is that Lu Ming? How is he still on the field? And he's already firmly planted at the twenty-second stake! That's top-ten level!"

Chen Jinyang scolded: "Wu San, step back. Don't make a fuss around me."

Wu San gave an ingratiating smile: "Yes, yes."

He turned around, clenched his fist slightly, and moved aside.

Watching Lu Ming continue deeper, a trace of fear slowly crept into his eyes.

He had, after all, under Shen Jue's orders, once blocked Lu Ming and tried to drag him before Wei Jinlin.

And now, Lu Ming seemed to have broken through to Flesh Refining, performing so brilliantly in the Iron Stake Area, with a bright future ahead!

If Lu Ming rose to prominence like this, what would he do?

"Lu Ming... he actually broke through to Flesh Refining!"

After driving Wu San away, Chen Jinyang's gaze swept over Lu Ming, and he too couldn't help but be startled.

He turned to look at Zhu Ming. Zhu Ming and Wu San had only recently reached the Nine Breaks in One Breath, Skin Refining Great Completion realm, and had come to the Grand Martial Arts Arena.

Zhu Ming had broken through nearly ten days earlier than Wu San, his talent clearly far superior.

Originally, he had been smug, thinking his judgment was better than Shen Jue's for taking on a decent enforcer.

But now, Lu Ming had actually broken through to Flesh Refining cultivation even earlier than Zhu Ming.

In today's small test, both he and Zhu Ming were eliminated early, while Lu Ming had pushed into the top ten, his rank still climbing steadily, overtaking one Flesh Refining martial artist after another!

Chen Jinyang stood stunned for a long moment, suddenly understanding the regret Shen Jue must have felt back then.

He remembered that an opportunity to recruit Lu Ming had once been placed before him, yet he had said Lu Ming's talent was far inferior to Zhu Ming's, dismissing him with contempt.

At this moment, his eyes were fixed straight ahead on the depths of the Iron Stake Area, where Lu Ming had officially entered the top five.

Ahead of him, only Chen Feng, Feng Qingzhu, Liu Yiyi, and Zhao Zhiqiu remained.

Lu Ming had actually closed in on these martial arts prodigies? On what basis?

A surge of intense jealousy welled up in Chen Jinyang's heart.

If looks could stop a man, Lu Ming would have been blasted out of the Iron Stake Area long ago.

Yet now, Lu Ming was not retreating but advancing, and even showing signs of accelerating!

"What is this?!"

At the twenty-third stake, the crowd neared the core Iron-Scaled Python Demon, all within close proximity.

Zhao Zhiqiu, the legitimate son of the Zhao Family this year, moved gracefully between the iron stakes. At this point, every step had to be taken with caution, or he risked being forced back by the pressure.

But just then, he saw a man stride forward, easily overtaking him and stepping directly onto the twenty-fourth stake.

His pupils contracted as he stared at the unfamiliar face, a hint of confusion in his heart. This man seemed to be that Lu Ming who had offended Shen Changfeng?

Back when Lu Ming was training, he had been left far behind, yet now it turned out he had been hiding his strength all along, shocking everyone today!

"Interesting!" After his initial surprise, Zhao Zhiqiu let out a soft laugh and stopped in his tracks.

Originally, he might have had a chance to compete with Liu Yiyi for third place, but now it seemed neither he nor Liu Yiyi had that opportunity.

He glanced at Liu Yiyi, who was stuck at the twenty-fourth stake and unable to move forward, then shook his head slightly and slowly retreated.

"Lu Ming?!" At the twenty-fourth stake not far away, Liu Yiyi, with her long legs and beautiful face, was struggling against the pressure of the Iron-Scaled Python Demon.

Sensing someone catching up, she turned her head and saw Lu Ming, letting out a startled cry.

"When did you break through!" Feeling that Lu Ming's aura had reached Flesh Refining and that he was still at ease even at the twenty-fourth stake, her expression shifted.

Thanks to her leg technique training, her lower stance was stable, giving her a slight advantage in the Iron Stake Area. She had just used her Flesh Refining cultivation to surpass Zhao Zhiqiu, who was at Flesh Refining Great Completion, taking third place.

She had been secretly pleased, thinking that as long as she held steady, she would secure a Red Token.

But now, Lu Ming had suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

Seeing Lu Ming glance at her without a word and prepare to move forward, Liu Yiyi inwardly cried out in alarm. If Lu Ming overtook her, she would fall to fourth place, and the Red Token would slip from her grasp.

Her cultivation talent was actually mediocre; without Demon Meat, she would probably only barely break through to Flesh Refining Great Completion before the Grand Examination. Then, entering a Third-Rate Sect would be very difficult.

She immediately spoke up: "Junior Brother Lu, I really need the Demon Meat. Could you please stop here?"